MADERA - The gates have closed on the 2012 edition of the Madera District Fair and what a great time was had by all. The concert line up this year was awesome from Thursday night's "Tower of Power" to Saturday night's Rodney Atkins. Did I mention the legendary classic rock band "Styx"?

MADERA - There are three days in the books for the 2012 edition of the Madera District Fair. On Saturday the community gathered to support the kids from the FFA and 4H with the Junior Livestock Auction.

Last year, the fair set a record with the amount of money raised and this year it is expected to be even bigger. A goat sold for $27 dollars a pound, a turkey sold for over $700; with numbers like this that goal should be easy to achieve.

MADERA - It's time to Party Down in Lumber Town as the Madera District Fair opened it's gates Thursday night to thousands of patrons. The first things guests may have noticed when they entered the fairgrounds was the old Floriculture Building is gone. It's been replaced with a working waterwheel and a representation of the old Sugar Pine Lumber Mill that once sat out on Tozer Road near the site of Millview School.

MADERA - The kids of the Madera Unified School District descended on the Madera Fairgrounds Friday morning for a few hours of cotton candy, animals and education. Education at the Madera Fairgrounds? Yes, there is plenty of education going on at the fairgrounds this weekend. There is the lumberjack display, lumber town, master gardeners and of course the animals the kids from the FFA and 4H have out at the barns.

MADERA - Like the night before a senior class from a Madera high school took to Lee DaSilva Field at Memorial Stadium for another graduation. Friday night is was Madera South High School's turn and with more graduating seniors they were able to finish their ceremonies a half hour faster than their 115 year old counter-part.

The fourth graduating class from Madera South stepped towards their future as one of their vice principals, Bob Madison, ended his career with retirement from Madera Unified. Over 500 seniors accepted their diplomas and went off to start the life's or put that on hold until after college while their parents and friends watched in the standing room only stadium.